Days of the Lillies

This is the time of year when the lilies bloom. These are called Daylillies because each bloom only lasts for one day. The flowers open in the morning and close up and droop in the evening.
Every day new ones bloom.

Each plant can have many flowers, but usually only one or two each day.
They are each so lovely that I want to take pictures of every one.

I take pictures in the morning light




and in the evening shade.

Each lily is different and each one has a special name.

One is called "Etched in Gold". See one that is a light peach color with a little ruffly gold edge around each pedal?

One is called
"Chicago Firecracker". It is a bright orange red color.

There is one I don't remember planting.

It has a double flower - twice as many pedals as the other ones.

I don't know what its name is...

what shall we call it?

Crickets, and the Toads who eat them

When we were getting ready for company, T and Granddad got out the old fence and set it up. The fence had been leaning against the garage wall for several years, so naturally some things had taken up residence behind it.
When we moved the fence, we found a whole colony of Camel Crickets.
They moved away pretty quickly.
Under the fence, leaves had blown and piled up.
I got the broom to sweep them up.
Then one leaf hopped.
It wasn't a leaf at all - it was Toad.
Toad was the same color as the old dry leaves.
And fat.
You know what made Toad so fat, don't you?
I think he's been feasting on Camel Crickets!
He had a great home under the fencing. Wonder what he'll do now?

Let them eat bread

Granddad had some stale bread. "Put it out for the crows", he said.

So when I went out to fill the bird feeders I took the bread out.

"There you are, crows", I said. "Come and get it!"

Then I walked away and looked back.

Were the crows eating the bread?

No...

Young Buck was standing there.
"It's for me, right?" he said.And he ate it all up!

Turn around, Turtle

Something is moving down there in the rocks. Is it a rock? No, rocks don't have legs and tail and head.

It's old Box Turtle.
Turtle wants to go under the house.
I don't think that's a good idea, old Turtle.
I think I'll pick you up and put you out in the grass.

Libellula pulchella

I am standing by the pond listening to the "twong" of the green frogs. A little breeze is waving the cattails back and forth. There is activity everywhere: birds flying, insects buzzing, something splashing in the water. I watch one large fast dragonfly zipping around above the cattails. He swoops, he zigzags, he soars - and then he perches. Here he is.
He has been catching and eating small insects in the air above the pond.
This is his territory.
If other dragonflies come near, he will chase them away.
He has two names.
We usually call him "Twelve-spotted Skimmer". (Did you count the twelve spots?)
You can also call him "Libellula pulchella". That's his Latin name.
No matter what you call him, it is fun to watch him fly!

A round flower

The milkweed is just beginning to bloom. It has a round ball of a flower.

Do you see the ants and little insects all over it?

Butterflies like it too.

There must be some sweet nectar in those blooms.

Wet May

We didn't have so many April showers. May, however, is quite wet so far.

It isn't raining now, but the raindrops are still dripping from the trees and clothes line.
Watch out when the wind blows!
All those rain drops blow right down on your head!